Cuboid-support shoe



lPatented] Nov. i3, i923.

tfgi@ Asans.

'Parleur @erica WILLIAM c. BURNS, or ALBANY, cannon.

CUB01D-SUPPORTl SHOE.

Application filed September 7, 1921. Serial No. 498,999.

' o alle/)hom t may concern BURNS,

facture, a shoe in which the insole thereof is arched, thickened or reinforced at the shank tid' on which the arch of the foot rests, said por`'` tion being of a shape, construction and nature to provide an effective rest for the said arch portion of the foot and to provide a brace for the cuboid bone to support the same in a manner which increases the strength of the m-uscles of the foot without the cramping of the parts thereof, and consequently permitting a .free circulationlof blood through all of the parts of the foot. llt is also my aim to. produce a shoe in which the cost of manufacture will be materi'allyv reduced and which is provided with integral means for effectively supporting the arch yof the foot and particularly supporting and bracing the cuboid bone thereof to prevent the disassociation'of such bone, from the remaining bones of the foot, and as a consequenceproduce a shoe which may be Worn with perfect comfort by the user and in which the wearing thereof will materially Strengthen the muscles of the foot, the im- Eovement particularly bracing the cuboid ne f It is a still further object to produce a `shoe in which the insole thereof 1s of such nature and construction ,as toJprovide ,an effective brace for the arch portion of the foot and particularly a' support for the cuboid bone which shall be of a nature and con- `struction as to eliminate' foot troubles, such asthe falling' of the arch bones of the foot and which isalso of a nature and construction as to afford the saine support as were vthe wearer traveling barefooted through soft earth.

The foregoing, and'other objects which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, may be accomplished by a construction, combination and operative association of parts, such asis disclosed by .the drawings which accompany and which form part of this specification.

particularly In the drawings Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a shoe constructed in accordance with this invention, parts being broken away and parts being in elevation.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan View of the insole portion of the shoe.

Figure 3 is a sectional View 'on the 33 of Figure 2."

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the substantlally rigid member employed.

Figure 5y is4 a similar view of the heel cushion which may be employed.

Figure 6 is a plan View of the regulation tar/atea linel Army shoe sole or last, and indicating by the dotted lines the existing differences between applicants construction thereover.

O All :the Ishoe makers that have desi ed or built shoes up to this date have builtt ese shoes with the sole purpose of fitting the inside arch of the foot and if these shoes carried any weight at all under the instep they carried it against the cords and the circulations and this weight-being carried under the inside part of the foot acted as a leverage to tip the foot over in the shoe causing the foot to crowd in the shoe bringing pressure to bear on the toes causing corns, (hard and soft) while the strongest muscles of the foot extended out orhung out over the outside edge of the curved insole, and these muscles .deteriorated like any muscles that are not in use. rlhey become in a weakened condition and these are the muscles that every person depends upon to hold these twentysix bones in their -natural position. y .these muscles become in a weakenedccondi tion, the weight of the body pressed 'these bones down out of their natural position, interfering with the circulation, causing the weightto be carried against the cords, first symptomsfeet getting 'tired quickly and then the cords begin to ache in the legs causing cramps in the feet, and the person begins to -think that they have rheumatics in feet and legs when it is just the muscles Weakening in the feet on account of the shoes were not constructedto carry weight on these muscles. My invention will now describe a shoe built with the intention and sole purpose t of carrying the weight under the-cuboid bone and the muscles that hold the bones of the foot in their natural place. Instead of building the shoe to fit the inside arch of the foot, mylinvention describes a shoe builtfor l the purpose of fitting the outside part of andl 'including the the foot from the base of the small toe to calcaneun, the outside point 8f this bone. In order to build a shoe that will fit the outside part of the foot, the Construction of the ordinary last is changed byl adding enough` to the last to cause a straight edge to extend from the base of the little toe to the extreme outside edge of the heel, that is adding to the last, from a quarter to a half an inch, and the same amount is deducted from theclast by taking the same amount .off the 'opposite side of the last extending from the ball' of the foot to the extreme back part of the heel of the last.

Referring n'ow to the drawings in detail, the numeral 1 designates generally a shoe ofthe ordinary construction. The sole 2, in m thereof in the usual manner,.but" the said archedportion is flat and is therefore of a width substantially greater than that of the ordinary construction. This also is true with respect to the insole 3, the said soles i ,2 and 3 being stitched, in the usual manner,

to the welt that secures the upper to the soles. To provide for the welt the insole has its edges grooved and channeled in the usual manner, and in the present construction,the insole, atthe shank thereof between the inner walls of the referred to grooves is channeled longitudinally to Iprovide therein a pocket for a cuboid reinforcing element 4. The insole 3 has its outer edge parallel with the longitudinal axis of the heel and the member 4 is arranged in a position to carry more `rweight under the cuboid bone f than under the arch of the foot. The element 4 is arched longitudinally the said member 4, however, being gradually decreased in thickness from one of its edges to its opposite edge. This provides an elevated rtion which is disposed directly below the cuboid bone v\of the foot and as a consequence pressure of this bone on the support will be materially greater than the pressure received thereon from .the scaphoid, and inner, middle and outer cuneiform bones. The

result is that the cuboid bone being thus vmaterially reinforced effectively holds the remaining bones in pro er position regardless of-unevenness in t e path traveled by the wearer of the shoe. From experience, I

have found hat when the cuboid bone is ity of cramping so properly supported, the muscles "of the foot are materia y strengthened, and by producing a shoe with the widened shank portion in which the reinforcement y4 is ar-` ranged, the foot is supportedlwithout liabilconstruction is arched at the shank* thaty the circulation o-f the base of the little toe ofthe'foot is supported to the extreme outside point of the heel. This provides ample room for the arch portion of the foot of the wearer, preventing the crowding and sliding of the foot in the shoe and the production of corns and callouses which are common with the ordinary construction of shoes. The foot is held substantially level on the insole of the shoe and is supported in a manner substantially similar to a barefooted person traveling over soft ground.

In order'that the insert whichprovides the cuboid reinforcing element 4, will properly accommodate itself to the foot of the wearer, the same, from the edge thereof nearest the heel portion ofthe shoe' is graduallyv and gracefully concaved from the corners thereof inwardly, as clearly disclosed by the drawings. Thus, when the element 4 is re-` ceived between the soles 2 and 3, the insole 3, at the portion thereof disposed directly opposite the said end itself to the shape of the insert, and, as stated, will thus avoid any liability ofrinjury -to the foot of the wearer.

ture thereof and removed when the wearer becomes accustomed to the shoe, andit is thought f that the foregoing description, when taken in connection with the drawings will fully set forth the construction and advantages of the improvement to those skilled in the art to which such inventions relate without further detailed description.

Having described the invention, I claim A shoe having an insole,whose outer edge is straight from the portion thereof on which the base of the little toe of the wearers foot rests to the extreme outer edge of the Lheel portion of the wearers foot that rests on the insole, and a rigidcuboid support lasted in the -shank of said shoe to receive thereon the direct pressure of the euboid' bone and the muscles that hold said bone in placeand to exert a greater pressure thereagainst than is exerted thereby against any other part of the arch of the foot.v

WILLIAM c. Bilans. 

